Actually they had planned to train in the gym after work, but then something important came up – the after-work beer with the colleagues, for example, the favourite TV series or simply the comfortable couch. Does this scenario look familiar to you? You are not alone: During the week it is far too often the good intention to do sports. It looks completely different for people with their own home gym, because with a fitness room at home it is much easier for many to defeat their inner hog. And best of all, you don’t even need expensive equipment or a large extra room. Have you become curious? We have brought you some tips and ideas on the subject of home gym.

Not everyone has space for a complete fitness room in their house or apartment. No problem, many modern fitness machines are designed to be so stylish and visually appealing that they can be easily integrated into the furnishings and thus find room in the bedroom, living room or office. The Technogym Recline Personal, for example, with its appealing high-gloss surface and chic design, can be easily integrated into any room and, at the same time, provides optimum training conditions at the highest high-tech level.

The equipment

When equipping your own fitness room, the basic rule is: less is more. You don’t have to buy a lot of expensive equipment. For example, a few dumbbells, a gym mat and an endurance device like a crosstrainer are enough to guarantee a balanced and effective workout. With it you can train all muscle groups as well as endurance. We also recommend a large mirror in which you can check whether you really do all the movements correctly. In addition, a mirror makes the room look larger and brighter.

A question of style

Of course, it is up to you in which style you set up your home gym. For some time now, retro-style fitness rooms and studios have been very popular. For example, our experts from MEA Studio have turned a former workshop in a Düsseldorf backyard into a new studio for a sports coach and personal trainer, cleverly combining new technology with nostalgic details. This gave the training room a very special charm. With old punching bags, gym boxes, balls, mats, wall bars and the like, you can easily get the trendy vintage look home.

The right floor

Whether in the gym or in the home gym – the right floor covering is an important factor in planning and furnishing. An ideal solution is, for example, the elastic floor covering from WARCO, which offers maximum comfort and safety. The rubber granulate panels can be easily installed and cleaned in any room. They dampen vibrations, sound and falling bodies (of all kinds).

The right lighting

The right light also plays a decisive role in the home gym. Large windows not only offer the advantage that a lot of daylight can enter the fitness room, but also enable effective ventilation. It is also advisable to install additional ceiling floods to reduce the risk of accidents.

Only those who eat properly can sustainably improve their fitness and performance in sport. We will tell you which 5 foods support your body in reaching your goals and which foods you should better avoid. Only a healthy diet supports your fitness and promotes rapid regeneration after exercise.
Do you already know our high-quality protein products? If you train hard, your protein requirements are increased – so it is all the more important that you cover this additional requirement through nutrition or intelligent sports nutrition.
No matter whether a protein shake after training or a power-protein muesli in the morning. With our products we want to support you with your goals. See for yourself and discover your new favorites.

Poor nutrition for your fitness: the 5 flop foods

1. Limonades and energy drinks

sweetened soft drinks contain a lot of sugar. These “empty” calories provide your body with no nutrients and only a very short-term energy boost. The sugar enters the blood very quickly and causes an unnaturally rapid rise in blood sugar.
Due to the increased secretion of insulin, your blood sugar level quickly drops again and causes feelings of weakness and hunger.
In addition, a strong insulin release prevents the burning of fat. Strongly sugary drinks should therefore be removed from your plan for the perfect fitness diet.
Healthy alternatives:
Iprefer unsweetened drinks such as water or tea. These purify the body and have a detoxifying effect.
Our suggestion:
fancy a real power drink? Then we recommend our fruity-nutty smoothie balls. While others are still shredding, you’re already enjoying. A smoothie provides you with a large portion of vitamins and other important nutrients. The perfect alternative to sweetened drinks. Have you become curious?

2. Rapeseed oil, soybean oil and corn oil

rapeseed oil and other industrial oils were originally intended as fuels and lubricants and not for human consumption. They were newly created by numerous overbreeding and chemical processing steps “suitable for boarding” and are above all inexpensive to produce.
However, the special structure of these bad fats leads to an increased tendency to inflammation of the body.
Especially after intensive sports units, this promotes susceptibility to infections. The consequences are poorer regeneration times and reduced resilience.
Healthy alternatives:
here you can better integrate oils such as olive and coconut oil into your fitness diet. These contain a better ratio of healthy fatty acids.
Coconut oil in particular is a real all-rounder. Whether cold or hot food – the exotic all-rounder will even outstrip your olive oil. Lauric acid ensures heat stability so that no unhealthy trans fats are formed even at hot temperatures. Mcts provide immediate energy instead of making you sluggish.

3. White flour

type 405 flour contains no valuable micronutrients. The vitamins and minerals in the shell are completely removed by the strong processing.
Thus the nutritional value for the perfect fitness nutrition falls by the wayside. The easily digestible carbohydrates of the “white” flour quickly accumulate in the athlete’s unwanted fat deposits and, when used before sport, lead more quickly to hunger.
The consequences are reduced performance and inertia. It also relieves the body of digestive work, which can cause intestinal diseases such as constipation.
Healthy alternatives:
containing flours with a higher proportion of micronutrients are your alternative. Here, spelt or wholemeal rye flour can be used, for example. These also contain a higher proportion of dietary fibre, which saturates you for a long time.

4. Fried foods

french fries and other deep-fried products are often prefried in low quality fats and then deep-fried again for preparation. The fat often remains in the deep fryer at high temperatures (180 °c) for a very long time.
Repeated heating of the panade residues in the panade produces decomposition products that alter the fat structure. In the worst case, carcinogenic acrylamide is produced.
The above-average fat content of these foods slows down digestion and increases the strain on the stomach for many hours.
The breadcrumb also absorbs large quantities of the bad frying fats, whereby excess amounts of energy are absorbed, which often results in inertia and listlessness.
Healthy alternatives:
for a healthy diet that supports fitness, deep-fried foods should ideally be avoided altogether. For example, use grilled fish instead of fish sticks or potato gratin instead of fries.

5. Discountermeat

packed meat is inexpensive and convinces at first glance with its flawless appearance. On closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that the meat from the discounter contains a great deal of added water (to produce more mass). The medicines and residues used in livestock farming also enter the body through the consumption of meat.
As a result, the internal organs involved in the neutralization and removal of these foreign substances are contaminated. Fitness decreases during intensive workouts.
Healthy alternatives:
meat in tasty organic quality should increasingly be used in your diet. It is less stressed and therefore supports the organism.

Healthy nutrition for your fitness: the 5 top foods

1. Nuts – the energy kick for in between

nuts are the ideal snack as part of a healthy diet that optimally supports your fitness. In addition to the large amounts of vegetable proteins, nuts contain monounsaturated and above all polyunsaturated fatty acids, which play an important role in fat breakdown.
These reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood and improve cholesterol levels sustainably. Bet on almonds, macadamia and brazil nuts, for example.
They provide you with valuable energy for regeneration, especially after exercise. The high-quality vegetable proteins promote muscle regeneration and unsaturated fatty acids counteract inflammatory reactions.
Furthermore, nuts contain valuable antioxidants, which serve to protect the cells, especially after intensive training sessions. B vitamins contained in nuts also support fat reduction and muscle building.

2. Bananas – the potassium bomb

bananas are rich in carbohydrates and the micronutrient potassium. Both ingredients are ideal to replenish your energy stores especially after hard training sessions. Potassium is of primary importance for the electrolyte balance and contributes to the ideal transmission of stimuli, muscle contraction and energy supply.
For adults, 2000 mg potassium per day is recommended.
With intensive, sporty strains, there is an increased need for potassium due to losses due to muscle work and sweat. That is why bananas should be part of your diet about once or twice a day.
In this way you ensure your supply of this important nutrient with a balanced and wholesome diet.

3. Goji berries – the antioxidant wonder

the small, red berries sometimes contain the highest content of antioxidants. They support your fitness and health by repairing damaged cells and catching free radicals.
With two to three servings per week, the ingredients of goji berries can provide lasting protection against vascular wall deposits and cancer.
Goji berries promote intestinal health and digestion by activating the female flora. They are also rich in iron and secondary plant substances such as carotenoids and can curb inflammatory processes in the body.

4. Lean curd cheese – the all-rounder

low fat curd cheese contains a lot of protein, with a very low fat content at the same time. With a biological value of 81, the protein contained in the curd is of a higher quality than many meat proteins.
In addition, this protein consists mainly of casein, which provides your body with valuable proteins in the long term. Low-fat curd cheese can be integrated into fitness nutrition for optimum muscle build-up, and not only in weight training. Protein powders, e.g. For the preparation of protein shakes, can also supplement your protein balance, especially on the move and after training.
In combination with fresh fruit, it provides you with exactly the right nutrients for the regeneration of your energy stores and repair of the stressed muscle fibres after long endurance units.
If you don’t like the taste of low-fat curd cheese alone, you can complement it flexibly with different kinds of fruit, vegetables and nuts, whether sweet or spicy.
Quark can also relieve symptoms such as swelling or irritation in sports-related inflammation and sprains caused by application to the skin.

5. Wholemeal noodles – the classic

wholemeal noodles have many advantages over “normal” noodles with a high proportion of white flour. Therefore, you should completely replace conventional noodles with wholemeal noodles in your fitness diet.

Unlike “normal” noodles, they are rich in minerals and fibre. Among other things, the minerals ensure smooth muscle contractions and metabolic functions. Due to the high fibre content, they satiate you sustainably and contribute to intestinal health.
Wholemeal noodles provide a lot of energy for training, which is available slowly and over the long term due to the high fibre content.
Conclusion: the a & o for fitness is the right diet
to get the most out of yourself, it’s not just hard training and sweat that counts. If your diet is unhealthy and puts an additional strain on your body, this inevitably has negative effects on your fitness and performance.

Only with a healthy diet you do not burden your body and give it all nutrients for a vital metabolism. The right diet provides more physical and mental well-being and improves the function of your muscles.
By using the suggested foods in combination with the right training you will see how your performance continuously improves and you become more resistant to environmental influences.

You finally want to get started with fitness training and become more muscular, fitter and healthier? But you are still wondering how and where you should train? There are three possibilities – sports at home, in the gym or outdoors. In this article you will find an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of these three training options.

Sport at home – flexible training, with many temptations

With the right training plan for home and some training accessories, you can also carry out your training from home without problems. The following advantages and disadvantages offer you sport at home:

The advantages of doing sports at home

You are flexible and can start training at any time. You don’t even have to leave the house for that. In the beginning, expensive equipment is not necessary.

You can also use water bottles or other items that can be found in every household, such as a chair or a filled bag. This saves you a lot of money, because a membership in a good gym is expensive.

The disadvantages of exercising at home

The sofa is right next door and tempts you to go for a spin instead of doing sports at home. In fact, the hardest part of sports at home is overcoming the inner pig dog, especially when the initial motivation dwindles over time.

With advanced training it makes sense to invest money in basic equipment, but you will find the best training equipment for your home here. If you have a little more space, you can also buy larger training equipment. The costs can be high, but if you invest in good quality, you can use the training equipment for a long time.

Sports in the gym – many training equipment and a lot of motivation at a high price

Fitness studios have everything a sportsman’s heart desires – but they also have their price. The following advantages and disadvantages are offered by training in the gym:

The advantages of training in the gym

You’re not alone in the studio. Trainers can give you valuable tips about your training program. They will also make sure that you are doing your training exercises correctly. On top of that, you have like-minded people with whom you can exchange ideas. This motivates us to stay on the ball.

In the studio you have a large selection of equipment at your disposal, boredom will certainly not arise and you can always set different priorities. You can also train your endurance well in the gym, for example in spinning courses, with rowing machines or on the crosstrainer.

The disadvantages of training in the gym

A membership in a good gym is not exactly cheap. 30 to 100 euros per month are quite common. You also have to drive back and forth to the gym, which costs additional time and fuel.

Training in the fresh air – out in all weathers? It’s hardening!

The advantages of outdoor training

Exercising outside is the best for your immune system. In winter, the cold stimulus is optimal and hardens. In addition, you fill up with daylight, which has a positive effect on your overall fitness and health. Outside you can of course train your endurance, but muscle training is also possible, for example with a sling trainer like this one, which you simply attach to a fence or branch.

A playground or park bench is enough for simple but effective exercises. In many places there are even special fitness parks for outdoor training.

The disadvantages of outdoor training

In cold, rainy weather the training will soon be cancelled, the inner pig dog threatens to gain the upper hand. To build muscle you will soon need more weights than just your own weight. Therefore, outdoor training is more of a supplement to sports at home or in the gym.

Conclusion

Every form of training has its advantages and disadvantages. A combination of all three is ideal: The gym is your main training location, you move endurance training outside and for the exercises in between or if there is little time, you do sports at home.

In any case, it is recommended to learn the exercise under supervision and to have it checked from time to time. Otherwise unclean processes can quickly creep in, which can manifest itself in pain. The main thing is that you have fun and you can always motivate yourself to keep going!